Who Dat?

I tuned into WQXR tonight about five minutes into the third movement of the Beethoven Fourth Symphony, and then went on with some other stuff I was involved with, giving the Beethoven only half an ear (well, you know: ho-hum; another reading of #4). After about five minutes more my half-an-ear told the other half I'd better drop P.D.Q. whatever stuff I was involved with, and start paying attention.

So I did.

And a good thing, too. What a perfectly splendid reading of #4 it was: bright, dynamic, and precise (precise as in not-Karajan, not as in like-Toscanini). When it was over, the announcer came on to inform us that the performance was by the Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä conducting.

Osmo Vänskä?

Who dat?

And then I remembered who dat.

When I read this New Yorker piece by Alex Ross, I'd never before heard of Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, much less any of his work with either the Finnish Lahti Symphony or with the Minnesota Orchestra whose directorship he assumed in 2003, and so I made a scribbled note to myself to hop over to Amazon, and take a listen. Never got there for one reason or another, but I will now, credit card in hand, so to speak.

You should too.